Control
by Jade Popal
Summary: The Doctor is captured, Amy dragged along beside him. But what do their captors want? And as the Doctor feels the pain of finding an old friend, can Rory, left with a cryptic message from the Doctor, find help in time before the Doctor becomes someone, or something ...else? Rated T for mild swearing, nothing too bad though.
1. Prologue

** This is only my second fan fiction, so please be nice! I really like reviews, any kind of feedback would be brilliant. Please enjoy, I worked hard developing the story!**

_Prologue_

The woman hadn't spoken a word. Not one. _Damn, _Dr. Brighton thought, staring through the one-way glass. _They're always so uncooperative._

Through the glass a whitewashed, tiled room was visible. It seemed to be glowing, yet the extremely bright light came from no direct source. There were no visible doors, no windows except the one Dr. Brighton was looking trough. The only occupant of the room was a young woman.

She sat in a short wooden chair, hands in her lap. Her sleek blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, and her back was to the window, which, from her side, looked like a mirror. She sat calmly, unmoving, staring at the wall opposite of the glass, away from Dr. Brighton.

The woman hadn't said anything so far. Dr. Brighton had watched as the "professionals" had had their time with her, at first trying to talk to her, eventually getting slightly physical with her. At that point, Dr. Brighton had intervened from her watching place, reprimanding the guards, reminding them that they had no authorization to cause harm to the prisoner. Yet.

There was a sudden knock on the door to the control room where Dr. Brighton stood.

"Come in," she spoke without turning around.

The door opened behind her and she turned to see a hassled-looking man, panting, entering hurriedly into the control room. He had dark skin and short, charcoal hair, which was glittered with sweat. His long white lab coat looked disheveled.

"Jim?" Dr. Brighton asked, surprised to see her colleague. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Jim doubled over still panting. He had obviously run a long way to find Dr. Brighton, halfway across the compound from the looks of it. He tried to speak several times, but only huffing came out. Then finally, he caught his breath.

"They've… made one…" he said, still slight gasps in between words. "They… made an earpiece… to suit her…" He gave a smile through his gasping.

"Already?" Dr. Brighton asked, shocked at the news. She'd been told an earpiece wouldn't be ready for some time, several months even. She grinned as well. "How soon can it be tested? Do you have it with you?"

Jim shook his head, straightening up. "Not me. There are guards following me with it. It's fully functional, ready to test." There was suddenly the sound of multiple, trained footsteps outside of the room as half a dozen guards, dressed in full-body combat gear came into view of the door. "Ah, good. Here they are!" He turned to Dr. Brighton. "Would you like to accompany us?"

Dr. Brighton considered it. "No, I'll stay and watch. She'll probably struggle, and I hate to get my hands dirty."She made a _go on _gesture and turned back to the window.

"Suit yourself," Jim said cheerily, shutting the door after him. From inside the room, Dr. Brighton could hear her colleague speaking to the soldiers as he led them to the door of the cell. "Alright, remember, she's strong, a trained fighter, so don't hesitate to use brute force. Where's the earpiece? Ah, good. Now, I'll be in charge of getting it on her. Just focus on restraining her."

Dr. Brighton saw, through the glass, the hidden door in the cell wall open. Jim and the six guards filed into the room as the girl turned her head in their direction. She sprang up, knocking the chair over and saying things that the soundproof walls wouldn't let Dr. Brighton. Jim seemed to be speaking to her, trying to calm her, but she kept on shouting not letting him talk. Jim frowned, taking a small curved earpiece from his lab coat pocket. The guards rushed forward, trying to grab the girl, but she was quick. She soared over them and landing on a guards head, knocking him to the floor. She swirled, kicking out. But the guards were faster, expertly trained for situations like these. One caught the girl's foot and flipped her, knocking her to the floor, the rest of the guards moved in, catching her arms and legs.

_She's a violent fighter, _Dr. Brighton thought, smiling at the scene before her. No matter how many times the guards grabbed her, even punched and kicked her, she managed to fight back with well-timed and flawless moves. Her blonde hair whipped, the ponytail coming out.

But the guards had finally gotten her. Two held her arms in an iron grip, two others on the ground holding her feet to the floor. The last, the one the girl had landed on, was holding her head to try and stop her squirming.

Jim smiled and said something, walking forward. The woman was obviously screaming at the top of her lungs, fighting to be free, a terrified look on her face. Jim came close to her face with the earpiece, fitting it on her ear. The girl tried to jerk away but the guards held fast. Dr. Brighton saw he eyes close in terror and pain, her mouth open in a final scream.

Then, the woman's eyes opened, her mouth closed. She stopped struggling. The guards let her go.

_Finally, _Dr. Brighton thought. _We're in._


	2. Chapter 1

**Please review if you like it. Even if you don't like it, please review! Reviews make me feel very proud and happy.**

**Chapter 1**

It all happened when the Doctor was in the middle of a story.

The Doctor was running quickly down the narrow sidewalk along the side of red brick building after red brick building. As he ran, he bumped into and almost knocked over the few lone people that also happened to be on the sidewalk. Luckily, Amy Pond and Rory Williams were in tow, trying to keep up with their friendly alien guide, and to everyone who the Doctor almost knocked off their feet, they were able to say a quick "_Sorry!" _and sprint onward, panting.

They didn't try to stop the Doctor. Amy knew that he was in an excited mood now, in the middle of telling them a story, and there was absolutely no stopping him when he was off like this. So she followed the Doctor. Rory knew there was no disagreeing with Amy, so he followed as well.

"Almost there!" yelled the Doctor back to the Ponds, his voice brimming with excitement and his tweed coat flying behind him.

"Aaaaaaaaannnnnd…" the Doctors' voice grew louder and louder.

The narrow sidewalk ended finally and melted into a large paved park space in the center of the town. A large fountain stood in the middle of the circular space, several tiers on it which the water dripped down from the top where it shot out. There were scattered benches encircling the fountain, all empty.

"…Here It is!" the Doctor threw up his arms in excitement and stopped running as he entered the deserted park, smiling gleefully.

"Here… _what is… _exactly?" asked Rory, who had finally caught up, panting, with Amy. They both stared around confusedly at the paved park that the Doctor was making such a big deal over.

"I TOLD you," the Doctor began to explain. He turned around to face his companions, a tiny bit frustrated that they didn't remember the story he'd told them up to this point. "This is where the Rhino followed me- well, it wasn't a rhino, in fact it was nothing like a rhino, but just _imagine _a rhino- and it stopped and got ready to kill me with that big spiky twisty thing on its head. But luckily, by that time, I'd gotten the jar of jam, over here-"

The Doctor began to run about the park, pointing to places on the ground and waving his arms around, occasionally making strange growling, hissing noises. He continued talking to himself and yelling the rest of the story over to where the Ponds stood.

"Wait," Amy muttered to Rory, arms crossed, "I thought he told us to imagine an elephant?"

Rory shrugged. "He told _me _to think of a Hippopotamus."

"ARE YOU LISTENING OVER THERE?" the Doctor shouted in the middle of making exaggerated *BOOM* noises and huge upward arm motions, making sure that his companions were paying attention. "'Cause _this_ is where it gets _really dicey!"_

"Hanging onto every word!" Amy yelled back across the park, giving a thumb up.

As the Doctor, reassured, continued screaming about the thing-that-was-sort-of-like-a-rhino-but-not-quite and jam, Rory muttered, "My God, look at him go. Doesn't he ever get tired?"

The ginger smirked at her husband. "_Never._ Don't even know if he sleeps. He's just a great big BALL of…energy!'

"_Timey _energy," Rory corrected jokingly.

"Wibbley wobbly, timey wimey energy, to be exact," smiled Amy. They both smiled knowingly at each other for a second. Then, they both burst out laughing at the phrase constantly used by the Doctor, so much that it had become a household term inside of the TARDIS.

But abruptly, Amy's laughter faded. The Doctor's voice had stopped ringing and echoing around the buildings which encircled the paved park. He was standing stock still, his back turned to the Ponds, his head looking towards the ground, staring at something on the pavement to the left of the fountain. He didn't respond to Amy's shout.

"Doctor, what's up?" yelled Rory. They both began to jog across the pavement, Amy in the lead, only a few feet ahead of Rory.

At the sound of their feet, The Doctor seemed to snap out of it. His head jerked around. His face had gone pale. At seeing his friends rushing towards him, his eyes went wide.

"_No_! Stop, _stop_!" he screamed with an outstretched hand.

The Ponds immediately obeyed, Rory freezing in his tracks, but Amy stumbling a few more feet ahead. As she did, she noticed what the Doctor had been staring at. There was a wide, white circle of chalk drawn on the pavement, which the Doctor, and now, Amy, was standing in. The Doctor lowered his hand, his face contorted for a moment in frustration.

"Amy, Amy, _Amy,_" the Doctor said through gritted teeth, walking over to her from the other side of the circle, "I _told _you to_ stop!_"

"I _did _stop, right when you said to!" Amy said defensively, leaning slightly away from the frustrated Doctor.

"No, you took an extra two steps from where you were!" He countered, reprimanding Amy.

"Well, Doctor, what's wrong?" asked Rory from a few feet outside of the circle. "What's up with the circle?" He started to move forward towards his wife.

"Rory, No!" yelled the Doctor. Rory jumped at the shout, stopping no more than several inches from chalk circle.

"_What's_ wrong?" Asked Rory, in mid-step, hands slightly up in a questioning motion.

"Rory, _do_ _not _step inside the circle, not a _toe _over that line!" The Doctor said forcefully, pointing a finger at Rory across the circular line. He then turned away and surveyed the rest of the circle, obviously thinking critically, running his hand through his hair.

"But Doctor, what's wrong with the circle?" Amy asked, slightly panicky, her eyes following the Doctor as he paced. "It's just chalk, drawn by some kids, yeah?" But Amy didn't really believe that theory, even before the Doctor answered.

The Doctor was still walking about the inside of the circle, all of his excitement and ecstasy from a few seconds ago gone. "No," he muttered, head swiveling to look at Amy, worry etching the lines on his face, "It's a trap. And I've just let you follow me into it." His eyes bore into Amy's, heavy with guilt.

The Ponds stared at the Doctor from either sides of the circle, still not understanding the Doctor at all.

Amy spoke first. "But Doctor, it's just chalk, what do you mean trapped-"

"It's _not chalk!" _The Doctor explained, still pacing the circle. "It's an element found on the planet Zephon used by their military for cells and traps. When electricity is run through it, it creates a sort of impenetrable shield that rises from it. Things can get inside of the shield, but not out. After about six minutes, it solidifies both… ways…" The Doctor trailed off, thinking. He brought the inside of his wrist up to his face, looking at his watch. "That means we have about two minutes."

"Wait, but Doctor," Rory said, "in the last six minutes? So whoever put the circle here must have done it-"

"…Had to have done it just before we got here." Amy said quietly, finishing her husband's sentence. "But who? Doctor, why are we trapped in here?"

Rory noticed her tone. Before the Doctor could answer, he said soothingly, "Amy, it's alright, I'll get you out of there. Doctor, can't I…can't…" Rory thought hard. "If it's not solid from this side yet, can't reach in a pull you out or something?"

The Doctor turned to Rory. "No," he forcefully said through gritted teeth. "Once a part of you is inside, it can't be pulled out again. Weren't you listening? On this side, we-"

"But Doctor, can't-" Amy began, stepping to the edge where Rory was and raising her hand above where the line ran across the pavement.

"Amy! No-" But the Doctor's yells were too late.

A loud _**BZZZT **_rang across the park, and Amy was thrown back, skidding on her back about 5 yards farther into the circle. She landed in a heap, head banging on the ground, eyes closed. A small trickle of blood ran from her lip.

"_AMY!_" Yelled both Rory and the Doctor. Rory made to go to her aid, but the Doctor, guessing what Rory would do, swiftly holding up his hands. "Stay where you _are, _do _not _cross that line!" He said firmly, before hurrying to Amy's side and kneeling down. The Doctor bent his head to her chest, listening for a heartbeat. He looked over her face quickly, lifting up her eyelids one at a time.

The Doctor sighed. "She's fine," He yelled over to Rory, leaning back on his heels. "She's just out cold from the shock wave. The only injury is her cut lip." His face was paler, but with the smallest smile of contentment at the fact that no real harm had been done. He'd forgotten to tell his friends about how the shield became electrified. But he decided to beat himself up about that later.

The Doctor looked up at Rory. He could see that it was taking all of Rory's restraint to stay behind his boundary, unable to tend to his unconscious wife. Rory's eyes had no tears, the Doctor he wasn't one to cry easily. Instead, there was an anger there, a burning hate of whom ever had done this to Amy.

"Doctor," he said, still staring down at Amy's limp form with a hardened expression. "Who did this? What can I do- How can I help?"

"Just be quiet for a moment Rory, thanks," said the time lord, and then took a deep breath.

"_Hello!?" _He yelled to the whole park, turning in a small circle as if trying to see something pop out. His voice bounced off the tall surrounding buildings in an echo. After a second he continued, "Oh, come on, I know you're there! Why lay a clever trap if you're not gonna stay around and watch someone fall into it, eh?!" Again, there was no response to his words. "And here's the kicker, you _caught me! _ Look at that! Clever old me, caught, no way out! So what now? What…_now?!" _The Doctor's eyes roamed around the park as he spun, trying to catch a glimpse of movement. He turned his back on Rory.

_THWACK._

The Doctor spun around. Rory was falling, a surprised look upon his face, to the pavement outside of the circle. He crumpled, unconscious.

"Rory!" The Doctor yelled in surprise as he watched his friend fall hard to the ground, instinctively moving, but not crossing the white line.

Above Rory's body stood a young man, who had certainly not been there moments before. He was no more than twenty years old, wearing black jeans and a tight-fitting grey jacket. There was gun-shaped object in his hand, which the Doctor instantly recognized as a stun gun, and which he had obviously just clubbed Rory over the head with. The Doctor stared at the man standing over Rory.. The young man smirked through his dense black curls which fell over parts of his face.

"Well," he said in a slick voice, "that was easy."

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked quite calmly. "What do you want?"

The man's gaze darted up to the Doctor's eyes. "Well, I thought that would be a bit obvious by now." He grinned. "We want _you."_

The dark-haired man put his hand up to his ear and the Doctor saw an earpiece hooked there. He spoke into it. "Company is down, full assault move in."

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw movement. He whipped his gaze away from the young man.

Around the edge of the white circle a total of 11 men had suddenly appeared, not counting the one standing over Rory. They all wore the same clothes as the young man. Each one had a similar stun gun, all pointing directly to the center of the circle where the Doctor stood.

Surprised, the Doctor raised his arms slightly, licking his dry lips and trying to think despite the pounding of his hearts. He turned back to the man who stood over Rory.

"Um…" The Doctor began, giving a weak laugh. "Can't… can't we talk about this?"

The dark-haired man raised his gun to aim straight at the Doctor's head. "Sorry," he said, flashing a grin once more, "It's just orders."

His finger pulled the trigger. The six minutes weren't up. The shot passed through the shield. The Doctor collapsed next to Amy.

The Doctor was barely conscious. He felt them trying to lift him, eventually resorting to dragging him across the pavement. Amy was being taken as well. As they continued across the hard cement, they passed Rory, still out cold. He seemed not to be coming along. With what seemed to be all of his remaining strength, he reached out a hand a touched Rory's forehead.

Inside Rory's mind, the Doctor left 3 images, 5 words.

_River. Captain Jack. Torchwood. Cardiff._

The Doctor's hand fell away, his energy spent, and welcomed the darkness.


	3. Chapter 2

** My gosh, thank you all for the amazing feedback! Two chapters and 10 reviews, 20 follows, and 7 favorites? *Brain melts* I cannot thank you all enough for the positive feedback, it's more than I could ever have hoped. *Deep bow***

** I am so sorry I haven't updated in, what, two months? *Another deep bow* I will try harder from now on, but you know, school and whatnot…**

…**...**

The first thing the Doctor noticed when his first senses awoke was that the familiar feeling of the bowtie around his neck was gone.

His arm reached up automatically and felt around his neck, under the collar, without opening his eyes. Nope, definitely not there. That was a problem. But why was it gone…

The Doctor's eyes snapped open as he quickly recalled the events at the park. The sudden white light that invaded his vision made him cringe and squint for a moment, but as his brain processed what had happened, his lids flew open despite his pupil's protests. As his eyes adjusted to the light, the Doctor realized he was laying down on a hard, smooth surface, and his right leg, twisted under his left, was asleep. He stretched slightly to untwist his legs, and propped himself up on his elbows

The Doctor felt oddly groggy, and he panted slightly, feeling winded. _Drugs,_ he thought, _they've drugged me…_ His head ached and throbbed with his heartbeats._ And my body's not taking it well…_ But who was 'they'? The men at the park, they'd brought the Doctor here. Him and….

Amy.

The Doctor sprang up, despite his head still spinning and his ragged breaths. Amy, _how _could he have forgotten Amy? He spun around, taking in the small, whitewashed room he was standing in, the small wooden chair that stood in the corner, the mirror reaching from the Doctor's waist to head height which ran across one wall. No Amy.

"Amy…" the Doctor breathed lines of worry etching across his face. Then, a wave of panic and guilt overtaking the timelord, he shouted "Amy!"

A fizzing, static sound, made him whip his head around, adding to the Doctor's headache. Up in a corner of the ceiling was a flat screen, about the same size as a small television. Lines of white static ran across a black background, and as the Doctor stared at the screen, it cut to new picture.

The perspective of the camera was obviously from a high corner, just like where the Doctor's screen was. Streams of numbers, probably the amount of time which the picture had been playing, ran across the screen in the upper right corner. The monitor showed a room much like the Doctor's, completely white with a single wooden chair in the corner. On the floor lay the stationary form of Amelia Pond.

"Amy!" the Doctor yelled again in relief at seeing his ginger friend, running over to below where the screen hung from the ceiling. But Amy didn't move.

The Doctor's hearts seemed to stop for a moment. _No_, he thought_, She probably just can't hear me, she's just unconscious. _He sighed. _They wouldn't put her in a cell if she were… _he stopped his train of thought there.

Reluctantly, the Doctor turned from the screen, starting to pace slightly. It was only then, when he tried to reach inside his pocket for his sonic screwdriver, that he realized that he didn't have his tweed coat on any longer, therefore no pocket to reach into to retrieve a sonic screwdriver. He swore mentally in Gallifreyan. This would be a tricky one.

The Doctor tried to calm himself. He'd been in situations like this before. Friends had been taken. He'd felt helpless at other times before this. And he always found a way out, one way or another. He'd get Amy home. And surely, if all else failed, Rory would come with help. The Doctor knew that Rory wouldn't rest until he found Amy, no matter what it would take. He'd bring Captain Jack and River, he'd do all he could to rescue Amy and the Doctor from…_where? _

The Doctor turned to the mirror on the wall, staring at his own face reflected in it. The drug had worn off, the grogginess which had filled the Doctors' head now replaced by a clear definite anger. He walked up to the mirror, quite aware that there was someone on the other side, looking through a clear pane of glass at the Doctor, studying his every move.

The Doctor clasped his hands behind his back and clenched his jaw. He was used to containing his anger, but at this time, with Amy unconscious, alone in an unknown room and the Doctor's bowtie gone, he found it hard to not yell. But he managed to keep his voice at a low level.

"Where am I?" He asked the glass tersely.

There was no response. Not a sound.

The Doctor let out a soft laugh. "No," He stated softly. "No, you don't get to keep an answer from me, you don't _get _to _stay silent,_" the Doctor's voice was getting louder with every word. "You've trapped me, hurt my friends, and separated us, and that has made me_ very angry, and if you know anything about me, you'll know that when I am angry, you'd better run." _Spit flew from his mouth now, his fist now resting against the mirror. "_So if I were you, I would answer my question-_**Where. Am. I**?" The last words came like a deep growl.

There was silence from behind the glass. Then, a small click sounded.

A monotonous female voice spoke: "Your new home." Then, another click broke the connection.

The Doctor's anger bubbled at this vague response while his hearts sank at what it meant. Or rather, what it _could _mean, what his captors thought it meant. They meant to keep him. But what for? _Why?_

The Doctor's voice became calmly terse once again. "Why am I here? What do you want?"

There was a moment before another click was heard and the female voice returned. "We want you."

"Yes, I got that from your man-the one who knocked out my friend. But what for, _why _do you need me? Who are you?"

Another click. "We are the Eldest Karma."

The Doctor searched his brain. He had never heard that title before, not at all.

"So what are you?" The Doctor snarled, his face twisted in a grimace, "Alien hunters? Collectors? I'm seen them all- so which are you?!"

Silence filled the cell. The voice did not return. Frustration rose inside the Doctor.

"Who are you!?" he yelled, pounding his fists against the mirror. "What do you want from-"

A click interrupted him. "Your friend has awoken. I suggest you speak while your connection lasts," the smooth female voice spoke, then was disconnected.

The Doctor whipped around to face the corner where the screen hung from the ceiling. Amy was stirring, her hands lifting her torso up off the ground. "Amy!" the Doctor yelled in relief to see his companion awake, and rushed over to the screen.

At the Doctor's yell, Amy had frozen, her eyes darting, trying to find the source of the voice. "Doctor?" She asked into the silence, turning her head this way and that.

The Doctor smiled. "I'm here, Pond." He could laugh, he was so happy. Amy was alright.

Amy stood up, still turning. "Doctor, where are you? I can't see you." She brushed her hair out of her eyes as if to get a better look around the small cell.

"I'm up here, on the wall." She turned. "To your right a bit. Can you see me?"

Amy turned again, finally spotting the area where a camera must have been hanging in her cell. She rushed to it with a small smile on her face, staring at the Doctor. "It's just a camera, I can't see you though. Can you see me?"

"Yeah, I can see you." The Doctor smiled back, even though he knew that Amy couldn't see it.

"Quick, what am I doing now?" Amy asked, sticking her tongue out and putting her hands up to her neck, moving them as if straightening an imaginary bowtie.

"Very funny, Pond," the Doctor said with a slight laugh.

Amy giggled and put her hands down. She turned slightly more serious, yet a smile still lingered on her lips. "So," she began, "Where are we?"

"Geographically? No idea," the Doctor stated, running his hands through his hair. "My Sonic's gone, _and _my bowtie-"

"Oh, too bad!" Amy interrupted sarcastically.

The Doctor ignored her, "-I've spoken to our captors, but they won't give me any good answers. They call themselves 'Eldest Karma'."

"Never heard of them," said Amy. She put her hand up and rubbed the back of her head, grimacing slightly.

"Amy, are you okay?" The Doctor asked worriedly. She had landed pretty hard when she had been thrown back by the electric shock from the shield.

Amy looked up back at the camera and the Doctor. "Yeah, fine, just hit my head when I…when…" She looked confused. "Doctor, what _did_ happen? I touched the shield thing…"

The Doctor's smiled faded. He had forgotten to tell Amy and Rory about how the shield was electrified. "When you touched the shield, an electric current flung you back and knocked you out as well-"

But Amy interrupted him again, her smile vanishing, and a mask of worry covering her face. "What about Rory, is he here? Is he okay?"

The Doctor sighed and recounted all hat had happened at the park after Amy had been knocked out. She didn't interrupt at all. The Doctor left out how he had left a message for Rory when he awoke, because he knew that whoever was behind the glass was sure to be listening and watching their conversation.

Amy looked relieved. "Of course they leave _him_ behind, that dumbo," she said. "But Doctor, you've got a plan, yeah? You'll get us out, I know you will."

The Doctor smiled again. "Pond, don't I always-"

But his speech was interrupted by another click, this time coming from the screen.

"Amy, did you hear that?" The Doctor asked.

But Amy didn't respond, instead, she seemed to be listening for something. "Doctor?" She asked.

"Amy, I'm still here," he replied, staring up at the screen.

Again, Amy said nothing in reply. "Amy, can you hear me-"

"Doctor?!" Amy yelled again. "Are you there? Don't leave me, don't go!"

She couldn't hear him. The Doctor turned away from the screen. He could still see and hear her, but she was alone. Utterly alone. He turned again to the mirror set into his wall as Amy continued to yell his name. Frustrated and angry, the Doctor walked over and sat in the chair, facing away from the mirror.

_They'd better start running, _he thought.

...

**I know, I know this chapter was short. I'm really sorry, I had to split it. There was originally one chapter, but I wrote so much that it was WAY too long, so I sliced it in half. This is that half.**

**Next chapter will either be about Rory, or it will be the rest of what was once this chapter. I DIDN'T GET THE TWIST IN THIS CHAPTER! Grrrrr, bad Dobby *hits self* bad Dobby *hits self*.  
**

**Oh, and props to anyone who can figure out where I got "Eldest karma" from. It's not significant to the story (I think), but I you can figure it out, I bow to you. *bows* I'm sorry there wasn't much action in this chapter, and sorry I wrote the Doctor kind of OOC, but whatev.  
**

**currently listening to Chameleon Circuit. if you don't know them, you haven't lived, so go Google them now. NOW!Wow, this is getting long, so I'll stop.  
**

**Cheers, and thank you for the lovely reviews and follows and favorites! Keep it up, please! DFTBA  
**


	4. Chapter 3

**Oh my Goddess, thank you for the amazing feedback! I would name names, but I have no time right now! I FINALLY GOT THE TWIST IN! YES! I am so sorry it took so long, i accidentally *cringes* deleted this chapter from my laptop, so i had to rewrite it. please dismiss any spelling/grammar issues as my carelessness, I was in a hurry when I wrote it. Yay, It's sort of long! R & R please, It helps he build confidence and update sooner *hint hint*. Thank you for all who followed, favorited, and reviewed already, I love you all so very much (in a non-creepy way). Well, I'm off to practice violin. DFTBA, and Happy Holidays!**

The Doctor didn't know exactly how long he had been sitting down in the cell. To his cramped body, it felt like a few days, although the logical part of his Timelord brain knew it had been around at least 8 or 9 hours since his captors had cut contact between him and Amy. Her voice had eventually died down, and the Doctor assumed she had fallen asleep, although he could only guess since he would not look at the monitor, knowing it would only torture him further.

Instead during that time, he had done the only thing he could do:

Think.

The Doctor had searched every cell of his brain for a memory, a hint of the name "Eldest Karma", anything he may have heard or seen that may be connected to it. But nothing had come to the surface. The Doctor couldn't connect the name to anything nor identify it on its own.

He had also, using the few words and actions he had seen his captors use, tried to analyze his captors, this "Eldest Karma" organization or whatever they were.

"_Your new home."_ They meant to keep the Doctor, whoever they were. And judging from the way they took his coat and bowtie and put him in a cell, they definitely did not mean the definition of 'home' that the Doctor knew. They meant to keep him as a pet. Someone, or something, below them, but still worth keeping.

_They find me valuable_, the Doctor thought. If they hadn't, they wouldn't be studying his every move through a one-way mirror. They wouldn't keep him alive and virtually unharmed.

Also, they had given him a connection to Amy, and allowed him to talk to her, before cutting their conversation short and leaving the Doctor to watch as Amy was left alone. This meant that, even though they had given him something that he liked, that made him happy, they also meant to torture the Doctor, to keep him in line. And it seemed that they knew exactly how to hurt him: Through his companions.

The people he traveled with had always been the Doctor's weakness, and he knew it. He'd led them into danger, they had been hurt, and always, he thought, because of him. And every time that this harm forced his companions to part from him, he would silently swear that he would never do it again. He would never let anyone else get hurt because of him, because of his decisions.

And yet, someone else always came along, another child wishing to see the stars, another soul whose life would never be the same after they traveled through time and space with the wonderful man in a magical big blue box. And the Doctor hated himself for this. Because every time someone new entered the TARDIS, the Doctor, deep down inside, knew that something would happen.

Some would go willingly. Some became lost, unable to be reached by the Doctor. Others… But he wouldn't let that happen. Not to Amy. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her, or Rory.

Mid-thought, the Doctor heard a click sound in the cell. The monotonous female voice spoke again, "You are the extraterrestrial being known as the Doctor."

It was not a question. It was a statement, waiting for confirmation. The Doctor did not want to answer. His hearts were still full of rage at his situation, how stupid he had been to fall into such a trap, and how he and Amy were being caged, imprisoned. But he had to learn more.

"Yes," he spoke softly, his head hanging down limply on his clenched hands as he slouched in his small chair, eyes squinted.

Another click. "You are the last of the race of Timelords, previous inhabitants of the planet Gallifrey, travel within the machine called the TARDIS, a.k.a "Time And Relative Dimensions In Space", and are 912 years of age."

The Doctor whipped around, nearly falling out of his chair. His eyes were wide, staring at the mirror in the wall, the rage which had inhabited him a few seconds previous now replaced with fear. They knew who he was. Exactly who he was.

"How…" He paused, staring at the mirror, knowing there was someone behind it, watching his every move. "How do you know that?"

There was silence. The Doctor supposed that his response had given his captors the confirmation they had needed. He got up from the chair, his legs feeling weak from nearly 9 hours of sitting down, and strode to the glass set into the wall.

"Where'd you get that information?" He asked his own reflection. He knew that he'd never told anyone other than those closest to him, those who he trusted whole- heartedly, his past. He'd always been very careful with who he gave information like that. Immediately, that meant there were two possibilities:

One; that this "Eldest Karma" had someone the Doctor knew, that he loved, and they were using them. Maybe even, the Doctor shuddered, _torturing_ them for information on the Timelord.

Or Two; that someone the Doctor knew, whom he had trusted enough to tell them about his past, belonged to "Eldest Karma", and that they had willingly given this information.

But the Doctor tried to shake this second option from his mind. No. No one he knew, no one he had ever trusted would do that. He always had picked his companions very carefully, as he frequently told Amy and Rory. Everyone he had let aboard the TARDIS he trusted and not one of them would have betrayed that trust.

The voice did not answer. Growing more and more worried by the second, the Doctor banged his fist against the glass. It didn't even wobble or move. He felt his face contort into a sort of grimace at his captor's silence. They weren't giving him anything, and that infuriated him. This feeling of helplessness, not knowing what was going on and being denied that knowledge—he had always _hated_ it.

This frustrated anger got the best of the Doctor. "**Who told you that?" ** the Doctor yelled, his lower lip sticking out slightly. "**Who gave you that information, and what do you want with me?!"**

"…Doctor?"

The Doctor spun around, confused for a moment about who had said his name. Then, he realized that it was Amy, sitting up in her cell and staring at the Doctor through the monitor. His hearts skipped. Had she heard him?

"Amy?" He called, not rushing to the monitor but still standing at the glass with his fist resting on the mirror, eyes wide and glued to the screen.

"Doctor! Where did you go?" the ginger smiled and looked relieved at having her traveling friend back again. The Doctor felt a tightness in his chest when he saw that Amy's eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying. She had been alone and scared, with no guiding voice or kind heart in an unknown surrounding.

"Amy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, they cut our contact. You couldn't hear me, but I could hear and see you…"he said with a slight bite in his voice. His eyes darted again to the mirror and he grimaced again.

"You could still see and hear me?"

"Yeah," the Doctor sighed. "It's good to have you back, Pond." He allowed himself a small smile. He was, after all, relieved at having his companion back.

Amy's smile faded a bit and she sniffed a little. "Why'd they cut us off like that? I mean, what was the point if they're letting us talk now, yeah?"

The Doctor's eyes darted a bit away from the screen, fixing them on the mirror and frowning. He hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if he should tell Amy what he thought the answer to that question was or not. He made up his mind.

"To hurt me," he spoke at last. "They're trying to hurt me through you Amy." He felt like he was talking to himself, muttering the words to himself as if for confirmation. He rested his head against the glass, feeling confused and angry, but determined not to let it show, not to make Amy worry.

After a moment's silence, the Doctor heard Amy speak again. "Doctor, are you alright? You sound…"

"I'm fine, Pond! You don't need to worry about me," the Doctor said, nervously laughing to prove his point. He turned and plastered a smile on his face, before remembering that she couldn't see him and letting it fall slightly. "I've just been thinking."

"'Bout what?" Amy asked, still staring at the camera in her cell, and through the monitor, indirectly at the Doctor. When he didn't answer for a minute, she continued; "Doctor, did they say something to you? Did they do something-"

"No Amelia, really, I'm _fine_!" He said perhaps a little too forcefully, lifting his hands in a frustrated gesture. He realized this. "Nothing, Amy. Really, it's… nothing; I'm just fine- _perfectly _fine-"

"Oh, no you're not." Amy said firmly, but not without kindness. "I know you, raggedy man. Something's up, and when something's up you don't like to let on to what it is. Just tell me, what happened? This "Eldest"… whatever, what did they do? Doctor, please, just _tell _me."She put her hands on the wall by the camera, as if trying to get closer to it, trying to climb up to it. She stared that adamant, searching, typical "Amy Pond" look up at the camera.

The Doctor froze in thought, breathing silently for a moment. Then, one end of his mouth twitched up in a sad half- smile.

"Heh. _Amelia Pond…_" He muttered to himself in fondness of his friend. "Always trying to get me to cave in…"

He turned and slowly started to pace the cell, his smile fading. "Amy, they know about me," he said, loud enough for her to hear. "They knew about my past, information that I only tell people I- my companions." He paused and looked at her.

"You mean all that stuff about your planet, about how you're the last one? And how you, sort of…" She trailed off, hesitating. "_...destroyed _the rest, yeah?" She looked down at the floor, obviously feeling guilty at bringing that up.

"_**Well, I wouldn't say **_**that**_** much.**__"_

The Doctor spun about. The voice had come from all around him, replacing the monotonous female voice.

"Amy-" he started to call.

"Don't worry, I'm still here," she said immediately, knowing that he was checking to make sure they were still in contact with each other. Amy too had started to look around her cell. "Doctor, did you hear that voice?"

Before he could answer, the voice, still a woman's but not as robotic and monotonous as the other one, spoke again, loudly and clearly in both cells: "_Yes, the broadcast now reaches to both cells. However, we can cut it, as well as your communication, at any time, so I'd recommend you watch what you say, __**Doctor.**__" _The voice was certainly not kind or warm, but it was also not menacing or strict. Neutral, but not like the previous, dull voice.

Before the Doctor or Amy could get in a word, the voice continued;_ "Any questions you may have will not be answered no matter how loudly or angrily you ask, so you should save your breath. Already, your behavior has not been to your benefit. But anyway…"_ The voice seemed to pause, possibly ponder something, and then continue. _"Yes, I suppose we'll still move on."_

"Move on with what?" The Doctor said darkly and calmly, but keeping his inner anger contained and in check. "What do you want-"

The voice interrupted, paying no attention to what the Doctor had said. "_Eldest Karma is extending an… _invitation_, to the extraterrestrial being known as the Doctor. We want…_him _to work with us, to help us grow and accomplish our high goals. To work with us of his own free will, to cooperate and give us all he has to give, and to dedicate his life to doing so. The Doctor is advised to accept this offer, and will not-"_

But it was the voice's turn to be interrupted. The Doctor laughed sharply, smiling slyly with squinted, disbelieving eyes. He crossed his arms, staring fully at the pane of glass, sure that the voice came from behind it and the speaker was watching him at this very moment.

"You expect me," He began, still smiling, "to _join_ you? After all of this," he spread his arms wide, gesturing to the cell around him, "After you've captured and imprisoned me and my friend, you expect me to join your little group? I'll give you my answer right here and now:" The Doctor dropped the smile and growled one word:

"**No."**

There was a moment of silence. Then, the woman's laughter was heard in both cells.

"_No one ever does say 'yes'. And now that's out of the way…" _ The voice suddenly lost its calmer, neutral manner, and became strict, with a bite in every word.

"_As an extraterrestrial being, you have no rights on the Eldest Karma's grounds. By saying no to the Eldest Karma's offer, you have ensured your own fate. By not willingly joining the Eldest Karma you will be handled as a hostile at all times until you rethink your choice or are under our control. Any resistance or unruly behavior will be met with punishment. You're handlers will be at your cell shortly, if you do not comply with their commands at any time, they will use force."_

A click announced the voice's departure. There was silence between the Doctor and Amy for a moment as what the voice had said sunk in.

"Amy?" The Doctor asked into the stillness.

"I'm still here." She replied. After another moment, she muttered, "Are you alright?"

He smiled. "'Course, I'm alright, Pond!" He laughed.

"But, what she said-"

"You think _that _would frighten me? Oh, Amelia, it'll take a lot more than threats like that to get my hearts going. No, Amy, it's _you_ I'm worried about."

Amy looked confused. "Me? But-"

"It's pretty clear what their intentions are for me, all right. But you…" The Doctor paused, breathing heavily through his nose. "I'll get you out of here Amelia; I promise you that I'll get you out safe."

Amy grinned. "Oh, please!" she said sarcastically. "You're being all Mr. High-and-mighty again. I can look after myself, Doctor."

"You **need** looking after, Pond." The Doctor grinned back.

Suddenly, the Doctor saw movement to his left. Spinning, he saw part of the wall of his cell starting to move, revealing the outline of a concealed door which had been impossible to notice before.

"My handlers are here," The Doctor told Amy. "Wonder what sort of "Force" they're willing to…willing….to…"

The Doctor's mouth went dry. His eyes bulged and his legs suddenly felt weak, as if they were nothing but jelly.

"Doctor?" Amy's voice seemed to call from far away.

But the Doctor was staring at the person emerging from the door, followed by at least 10 guards in black combat gear. A person he hadn't seen in a long time. A person who now wore a grey jacket, black pants and an earpiece, but who had once worn a tight green shirt and combat boots. A person who had always smiled, who always, even now, had her blonde hair back in a ponytail.

"Doctor?" Amy called again . "What is it, what's wrong?"

The Doctor breathed raggedly and spoke the woman's name; the name of his daughter:

"Jenny."


End file.
